Conclusion

Summing up this review, it must be noted that the Radeon HD 4870 and GeForce GTX 260 have both become stronger indeed. The increased amount of memory of the former card has a positive effect on its performance in resource-consuming games, at high resolutions and in high display quality modes. When the conditions are the opposite, the extra 512 megabytes of memory do not provide substantial benefits. As for the latter card, its GPU has got more advanced in comparison with the first version of GeForce GTX 260 and brings about higher performance, lower power consumption and heat dissipation, and a lower level of noise.

Choosing between these two cards, you should keep it in mind that GeForce GTX 260 series cards now cost $30 more than Radeon HD 4870 series products even though the GeForces have declined in price at a more rapid rate than the Radeons. The arrival of the improved version of the GTX 260 will be impeded by the older version as Nvidia did not differentiate the new and old versions in terms of model name and recommended price, confusing the customer. At the same time, Radeon HD 4870 with different amounts of memory live quite well on the market together and differ in price by $15-50 – there is no confusion for the potential customer. I hope you will be able to make an informed and unconfused choice after having read this review.

As for the particular graphics cards reviewed today, the Palit Radeon HD 4870 Sonic 1024 is good in every respect. The double amount of memory, competitive price, efficient and quiet cooler, dual BIOS and two operation modes of the card can’t leave you indifferent. Its GPU didn’t do well in the overclockability test but that’s just a problem of the particular sample. Our recent experience shows that the quality and service life of this brand’s products have most likely improved.

The Leadtek WinFast GeForce GTX 260 Extreme+ is appealing with its pretty packaging as well as pre-overclocked frequencies and reinforced core. It would make a bestseller if it price were $50-70 lower. I hope the price cut predictions about Nvidia’s products will come true indeed.